EU sets steel import evidence rules for melt-and-pour origin

The European Commission has adopted Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1963 of 28 August 2026, laying down the type of evidence importers must file to prove the country of ‘melt and pour’ of steel entering the Union. The rules, published in the Official Journal of the European Union (L series) on 31 August 2026, apply from 1 October 2026 and affect every steel importer and national customs authority in the EU.

The regulation implements Article 4(2) of the Steel Regulation (EU) 2026/1384 of 17 June 2026, which addresses the negative trade-related effects of global overcapacity on the Union steel market. That framework opens a defined number of quotas and lays down an out-of-quota duty of 50%, while the new transparency requirement is designed to enhance the traceability of imported steel and give the Commission a more accurate picture of the Union’s steel supply chain.

The Mill Test Certificate as primary evidence

At the moment of import, importers of products falling under the categories listed in Annex I to the Steel Regulation must provide a Mill Test Certificate that includes the country of ‘melt and pour’ and the heat number of the imported steel. The certificate is the document most widely recognised as the primary means of evidencing origin, and is already requested when exporting steel to some non-Union countries.

Where the certificate lacks either the country of ‘melt and pour’ or the heat number, customs authorities may accept complementary evidence that supplies the missing information:

• invoices
• delivery notes
• quality certificates and clauses in implemented purchase orders or contracts
• long-term declarations from suppliers
• cost accounting and production documents
• customs documents from the exporting country
• commercial correspondence
• production descriptions

Standalone evidence and verification

If no Mill Test Certificate can be provided at all, the same list of documents may be considered by customs authorities as standalone evidence, provided it contains information on the country of ‘melt and pour’ and the heat number. This standalone option applies from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027, an initial one-year period before the list is limited, giving economic operators time to adjust their practices.

The country of ‘melt and pour’ must be declared by means of TARIC document codes, and customs authorities are required to carry out documentary checks on the information and supporting evidence submitted. Where importers rely on alternative evidence, verification may delay access to the relevant tariff-rate until checks are completed.

Non-compliance means rejection

Failure to declare the country of ‘melt and pour’ with appropriate verifiable evidence leads to a rejection of the import by customs authorities, constituting non-compliance with the transparency requirements of the Steel Regulation. The Commission has committed to keeping the list of evidence under continuous review and may adjust it at any time as available evidence evolves.

The regulation was adopted following a public consultation opened on 2 June 2026 for four weeks, in which most respondents confirmed the Mill Test Certificate as a suitable document while favouring a flexible evidentiary framework. It was signed in Brussels by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and is binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

For EU steel importers, the new rules mean that from 1 October 2026 every consignment must be backed by verifiable proof of where the steel was actually melted and cast, not merely where it was processed or shipped from. The measure gives customs authorities a powerful tool to enforce the Steel Regulation’s quotas and duties, and gives the Commission the traceability data it needs to shape future policy on global steel overcapacity.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, L series, 31.8.2026, regulations (official reference: CELEX L_202601963).